FEAR OF MOVEMENT QUIZFOR ANY PADEL INJURY RECOVERY (TSK-17)
Whatever you’re recovering from — knee, ankle, elbow, shoulder, back — the same quiet obstacle shows up again and again: hesitating to move fully because you’re scared of what might happen if you do. This isn’t weakness, and it isn’t “in your head” in any dismissive sense — it’s a well-studied, measurable phenomenon called kinesiophobia. The Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK-17), developed by Miller, Kori and Todd in 1991, is the standard tool researchers and physiotherapists use to measure it. Unlike the other return-to-sport quizzes on this site, this one applies to every injury type — because fear of movement doesn’t care which joint it’s attached to.
ITEMS — two subscales: fear of (re)injury from movement (7 items) and somatic focus / catastrophizing (5 items)
HIGH-SCORE THRESHOLD — the commonly cited cutoff (Vlaeyen et al., 1995) on the 17-68 scale for clinically relevant kinesiophobia
INJURY TYPE — unlike joint-specific scales, this applies whether you’re recovering from a knee, ankle, elbow, shoulder or back injury
In short: the TSK-17 measures how much fear of movement and re-injury — not physical limitation — is shaping your recovery, across 17 statements you rate from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.” A score of 37 or higher (out of 68) is the commonly cited threshold for clinically relevant kinesiophobia. This applies no matter which padel injury you’re recovering from.
The Recovery Barrier That Doesn’t Show Up on a Scan
Pain and Fear Are Not the Same Thing
A physiotherapist can measure your range of motion, your strength, your swelling. None of that captures whether you flinch away from a movement not because it actually hurts, but because you’re braced for it to hurt — or worse, braced for it to cause damage. This distinction matters enormously in rehab: research on kinesiophobia consistently finds that fear of movement, independent of actual tissue damage or pain levels, predicts slower recovery, reduced activity, and a higher chance of chronic pain developing. Two players with identical scan results and identical rehab programs can have very different outcomes depending on how much fear is shaping their movement.
Two Different Flavors of Fear
The TSK-17 splits into two subscales that capture genuinely different things. The “fear of (re)injury” subscale reflects a behavioral avoidance pattern — the belief that movement itself will cause harm, leading to guarding and avoidance. The “somatic focus” subscale reflects something closer to catastrophizing — reading ordinary pain signals as evidence of serious, ongoing damage. Someone can score high on one subscale and low on the other, and the two call for slightly different approaches: graded exposure to movement for the first, and pain education and reassurance for the second.
High kinesiophobia scores are extremely common after any significant injury — they reflect a rational nervous system response to a body that has genuinely been hurt before, not weakness or overreaction. Naming it accurately is the first step toward addressing it.
Take the TSK-17 Quiz
Answer Based on How You Feel Right Now
Rate how much you agree or disagree with each of the 17 statements below, based on how you genuinely feel about your injury and movement right now — not how you think you’re supposed to feel. There are no right or wrong answers; the scale only works if your answers are honest.
Understanding Your Score
What 37 Actually Represents
The commonly cited threshold of 37 or above (from Vlaeyen and colleagues' 1995 research) marks the point at which kinesiophobia is considered clinically relevant — meaning fear of movement is likely an active factor worth addressing directly in your rehab, not just a background feeling to push through. This threshold comes from research on chronic pain populations broadly, not padel players specifically, so treat it as a useful reference point rather than a precise verdict on your own recovery.
What Actually Helps a High Score
The research-backed response to high kinesiophobia isn't willpower or "just pushing through" — it's graded exposure (gradually reintroducing movements in a structured, supervised way that lets confidence rebuild alongside tissue tolerance) combined with pain education (understanding that pain during controlled loading is not the same as ongoing damage). Both are core skills physiotherapists are trained in specifically. If your score is high, that conversation with your physio is exactly the next right step — not stopping activity, and not forcing through it alone either.
The TSK-17 measures fear of movement only. It cannot assess your injury's physical status, tissue healing, or readiness to return to sport, and it is not a substitute for an in-person assessment by a physiotherapist or doctor.
You know the feeling — the physio clears a movement, the exercise sheet says it's fine, and your body still hesitates like it knows better. Most amateur players assume that hesitation will just fade on its own with time. What actually works is naming it honestly with a number, then working through it deliberately with graded exposure — not waiting for the fear to disappear before you start moving again.
Who This Is For
Padel players recovering from any injury who notice they hesitate on movements their rehab plan says are safe
Anyone whose recovery feels stalled despite following a physical rehab program, wondering if fear is part of the picture
Physiotherapists and coaches wanting a quick, citable screening tool to discuss with padel players
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the TSK-17 (Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia)?
The TSK-17 is a validated 17-item questionnaire, originally developed by Miller, Kori and Todd in 1991, that measures fear of movement and re-injury (kinesiophobia) during recovery from a musculoskeletal injury. It scores from 17 to 68, split into a fear-of-(re)injury subscale and a somatic-focus subscale.
What does a high TSK-17 score mean?
A score of 37 or above is the commonly cited threshold (Vlaeyen et al., 1995) for clinically relevant kinesiophobia — fear of movement that is likely influencing your recovery. It does not mean your injury is worse than someone with a lower score; it reflects a psychological response that is common, well studied, and treatable through graded exposure and education.
Does this quiz apply to any padel injury, or just one type?
Unlike joint-specific scales such as the ACL-RSI or PRTEE, the TSK-17 measures fear of movement generally and applies regardless of which injury you're recovering from — knee, ankle, elbow, shoulder, or back.
What should I do if my score is high?
A high score is a signal to talk to your physiotherapist directly about graded exposure to movement and pain education, rather than either avoiding activity indefinitely or forcing through exercises without addressing the underlying fear. Both approaches on their own tend to work less well than combining them with professional guidance.
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